12 Days of Christmas
by RgjIrishdancr
Summary: "Every year, we would divide up the twelve days of Christmas between us and find something we could do to make other people's Christmas a little merrier, one for each day. Then we would get everything we needed and wrap it and put it under the tree with a tag with the day. " Nell invites Eric to join in a Christmas tradition. Christmas fic, updated daily! (12/28: fixed date errors)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was the day after Thanksgiving, and Nell and Eric had just put the finishing touches on their Christmas tree. Wait, make that Nell's tree in Nell's apartment that Eric just so happened to be spending almost all his time at. (Though Eric did bring over his boxes of decorations, after Nell "accidentally" mentioned a few days earlier that her tree always looked "under-dressed." He also suggested hand-making ornaments, which he may or may not have regretted later.)

Eric stood back to admire the finished product, a majestic white pine (or so the box said) wrapped in white lights and a fake-cranberry garland. In addition to their ornaments (various childhood keepsakes, lacy angels and teardrop-strands from Nell, and brass lattice balls and snowflakes his great-grandmother crocheted from Eric), the pair added metallic gold- and silver-painted jingle bells on festive red ribbons, red and green candy cane mice, reindeer made using old-fashioned clothespins, classy blue, green, and gold swirled balls created with tempra paint, and pasta angels. The latter were an adventure to construct, since Nell couldn't quite remember which varieties of pasta were utilized. The project was saved by the wonders of modern technology; a quick text message to Uncle Danny later, and a photograph confirmed the assembly. Penne formed the body, with a bow tie for the wings, elbow macaroni for arms, and wheel-shapes atop the wood bead head for a halo. A thumbtack lamp completed the ensemble.

White Christmas lights were strung outward from the ceiling fan in the kitchen to the cabinets, creating a tent-like effect. White and baby blue paper snowflakes dangled from the light strands—Nell had pointed out that a pro of being short was they could vary the heights of the snowflakes, or even hang one below another, without having to duck around decorations to actually use the kitchen. Eric's Peanuts nativity graced the top of the trunk-turned-coffee table, and a stocking hung on each end of the fish tank, since Nell didn't have a mantelpiece. There was only one thing missing from the picture…

_Presents_. "Hey, Eric."

"Yeah, Nell?"

"Do you have plans for after Christmas?"

"Like, when after Christmas?"

"Um, anytime?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could rescue me from a Christmas recess of boredom," Eric replied. "I'm afraid video games would get a little old by day three or so."

Nell grinned. "Actually, I have a Christmas tradition I was hoping you could help with."

"Sounds great! When is it?"

"That's the thing. Y'see, back when we were in college, Randy and I rented a house, with Nate. We…didn't go home for Christmas any of those years for more than a day or two. We would put up a tree, this tree, actually, but instead of putting gifts to each other under it, we put them in stockings. Every year, we would divide up the twelve days of Christmas between us and find something we could do to make other people's Christmas a little merrier, one for each day. Then we would get everything we needed and wrap it and put it under the tree with a tag with the day. The exciting part was you couldn't tell anyone else what your projects for your days were, and on Christmas we all unwrapped the boxes someone else packed, and found out what we got to do and who we were going to help while we didn't have school or work."

"Wow," Eric breathed, "that sounds awesome. I'd love to help you with that!"

Nell smirked a little. "There are just a few rules, Eric."

"Fire away."

"Rule one: no telling any of your plans. You find the need in secret, plan the project in secret, buy the supplies in secret, and wrap them—"

"—in secret, just like with Christmas presents to each other."

"Rule two: economize as much as possible. That means you use what we have around if you can. Like, if you were going to help wrap Toys for Tots gifts, which you actually do on Christmas eve, but Nate did as a Christmas Eve gift one year, he put scissors and ribbon we already had in the box with wrapping paper and gift bags."

"Alright, what if we run out of scissors?"

"Only put one of anything in, even if we'll need more. That's part of the reason we open them all on Christmas—one year, by the 21st nobody could find scissors, and we had to use pocket knives and kitchen knives to open everything until Christmas!"

"Any more rules?"

"Rule 3, which is probably the most important one. Find things that you love, that you know you're good at, and things that are outside of your comfort zone. Randy is so not artistic, but every year he would put going and coloring with kids in some hard situation on one of the days."

Eric nodded.

"It's part of the fun."

"Are we allowed to ask people for ideas?"

"You can get one idea per person from a couple of people, maybe we can just say from each team member. We're each allowed three projects we need extra people on, to invite the team to help us with, but you're responsible for making sure the schedule works for your projects, and I'm—"

"—responsible for scheduling for yours."

Nell grinned. "Oh, and days are first come, first served."

"So when do we start?"

"ASAP. The more time you have to plan, the better. I always would start my brainstorming on Black Friday after we put the tree up."

"Um, even. What are we waiting for?" Eric grabbed his tablet and sat in the sleeper chair, his back against one arm and his legs over the other, so Nell couldn't see what he was typing. She took her tablet to the sofa, stretching out in a sort of half-sitting, half-lying down position.

xxxxx

Eric saw an opportunity the Monday after Thanksgiving, when Nell had gone for coffee and Deeks popped into Ops. "Hey, Deeks, I have a question for you."

"Sure, what?"

"Um, I'm looking for ways to volunteer while I'm off for Christmas, to help other people have a better holiday. Do you have any ideas, know of anything someone needs help with or would like to have?"

Deeks considered for a minute. "What about this, Eric? You could find a shelter for women and children and take a computer and projector and some games and throw them a game and movie night."

Eric grinned. "That's a great idea! Thanks, Deeks!"

The cop smiled. "One condition, Eric. I get to help."

"Of course. I'll send something to your phone when I need to set a date."

xxxxxx

Nell sat back in her chair and rubbed her neck. She had a lot of good ideas, but still needed one or two more projects for her and Eric. Her ear caught a conversation between two other workers in Ops.

"…it's a great school, but they don't have a lot of money for security. They got cams as a Christmas donation from a big company, but they don't have money for someone to install them."

"And with it being a special ed school, I know they want to have lots of ways to keep workers accountable, especially with little kids."

Nell walked towards the other techies. "Excuse me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I'm looking for some projects to volunteer on over Christmas. Could this school use some technical help?"

The older of the two workers smiled. "My daughter's school, this really great small private school for preschoolers with disabilities, got surprised with a security camera system from a local company, but they don't have anyone to install it. They have enough cameras to do full interior and exterior monitoring, but the school doesn't have the money to hire someone to do the install."

Nell reached over for a post-it note and a pencil from her desk. "If you could give me their name and phone number, I can probably help with that."

The man eagerly jotted down the school title and number. "Thank you so much! It's a really great school, but they run on a shoestring budget because they want the best for all their students."

xxxxxx

Eric's phone vibrated, and he nearly dropped his tablet rummaging around in his pocket for it.

From: Callen, G.

This's awesome Eric. The everybody can play playground going in at 3rd and elm wants helpers for the install on the Sat after N Yrs. Was going anyways but youre welcome to join.

Eric grinned, and pulled up the file named "Don't open this Nell". Next to "day 10" he typed "install Everybody Can Play playground."

xxxxxx

Nell caught Kensi in the locker room as she was headed up to Ops. "Hi, Kensi, you have a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I'm looking for some places to volunteer over Christmas. Do know of places that could use a little extra cheer?"

Kensi's eyes lit up. "When I was little, a lot of the bases we lived on had a craft day where all the kids could come and make Christmas crafts, just a little something special. I bet Pendelton would love for some people to come and throw one! You'll need to—no, wait, she doesn't know you. I'll call the events director at lunch and let you know."

xxxxxxx

Eric stood in the baking aisle of the grocery store, feeling about as out-of-place as a polar bear in Antarctica. After a few minutes of studying, he selected the ingredients from the recipes on his phone (thanks, Hetty) that weren't in the cabinets, and knelt down to examine the various types of icing and sprinkles.

xxxxxx

Nell kept an ear cocked for Eric as she rifled through the catch-all drawer in his, err, the guest room dresser, searching for a memory stick. A quick look over her shoulder showed her computer had finished the iTunes purchase; she grabbed the USB stick and slipped back into her room to start copying files. Turning the tablet screen so it wouldn't be visible to Eric should he arrive unnoticed, she started searching through storage bins in the second closet, before pulling out one labeled "Dance Sound/Lighting etc."

**A/N** Reviews, please!

I plan to write and upload a chapter a day for each of the 12 days of Christmas. (The chapters will be published the day after they are set.)


	2. Day 0: Christmas

**Day 0—December 25th**

Eric woke up Christmas morning to the smell of –well, something delicious—wafting under his door. Oh, yes, the crock pot breakfast casserole Nell had put on last night. He slipped out of bed, shaking down his polar bear pajama pants that had somehow ridden up so the ankles were over his knees overnight, and silently opened his bottom left-hand dresser drawer. Underneath a pile of undershirts and socks was an opaque shopping bag. He swiped his reindeer antlers off his bedside table before padding out into the living room to stuff Nell's stocking.

With her gifts properly concealed, and poking the stocking out in any number of intriguing directions, Eric turned slipped into the kitchen, turned on all the Christmas lights, and put on the coffee.

A few minutes later, Nell walked in from her bedroom, her hair tucked into a santa hat that coordinated with her fleece penguin pajama pants. "Merry Christmas, Eric."

He gave her a 'good morning' hug. "Merry Christmas, Nell."

Two poured mugs of coffee later, after Eric plugged his iPod into her sound system and started quiet Christmas music, they settled onto the sofa to open their stockings. Nell realized another thing she hadn't known about Eric—he liked to wrap presents. Each object in her stocking was wrapped in tissue paper or wrapping paper and topped with a bow or ribbon. It made her glad she had always wrapped Randy's stocking presents, to prevent peeking; the habit had carried over to Eric's. His unruly hair poked away from his head in several directions around the reindeer antlers as he carefully extracted the top parcel. "So…who's going first?"

Nell grinned; Eric's inflection had sounded so much like Randy. "You do one, I do one."

She sat back expectantly as Eric slipped the ribbon off.

xxxxxx

After stockings came breakfast and dishes, (they had decided that on Christmas Eve), and then Eric and Nell set to opening the dozen packages under the Christmas tree. Nell felt around the mound of packages before extracting a large but fairly short box, labeled "Day 1." Placing the package in Eric's lap, she perched on the edge of the trunk-turned-coffee table.

Eric ripped open the paper and flipped the box open. Inside he could see a pair of scissors, a pack of glue sticks, several different sheets of decorative Christmas paper, a stack of stencils, and a pack of blank greeting cards. _Fifty_ blank greeting cards. "So, who are we making cards for?" Eric inquired.

"The nursing home between here and OSP. Don't look scared; Kensi, Deeks, Callen, and Sam's family are coming this afternoon to help make and deliver them."

Eric walked over to the glass whiteboard and wrote in green marker, "**Day 1**: Make and deliver Christmas cards to the nursing home". The techie grabbed a large silver and gold wrapped box, graced with a gigantic bow, from under the tree and set it next to Nell's feet.

She grinned. "That's a big bow, Eric!"

"A larger-than-average package deserves a larger-than-average bow."

After extricating the box from the paper, Nell cut the packing tape holding it closed, and opened the flaps to reveal a stack of games, running the gamut from _Candy Land_ and _Sorry!_ to _Dutch Blitz_, _Apples to Apples_, and _Clue_. A DVD of _Despicable Me_ topped off the stack.

"Games and movie night?" Nell guessed.

Eric nodded. "The lady who coordinates events at the women's and children's shelter almost started crying when I called her. When I confirmed yesterday, she told me some of the kids were already asking whether it was Thursday yet."

Nell smiled somberly. "That's a great idea, Eric. Spending Christmas in a shelter has got to be…lonely."

He nodded. "I would love to take the credit, but it was Deeks' idea. I got the feeling he spent at least one Christmas in a shelter."

"Makes me glad that my mom could always find friends we could spend Christmas night with. New Year's, too."

Eric sighed. "I almost wish I could have spent a couple of Christmases at a shelter. But what's over is over, we're both here, and we get to spread some joy!"

Nell laughed and headed for the whiteboard. '**Day 2**: Game and movie night at shelter.' "We have any help with the spreading?"

"Deeks and Callen are for sure, and probably Kensi, Sam, and Michelle; I think her mom is stealing their kids for the day. Hetty said she might pop in, too."

"Sounds like you planned a full-scale party, Beale," and she slid a huge box up next to his chair

"Ooo, the biggest present under the tree. I wonder what it is!" Eric declared gleefully. A few moments of ripping later, and he opened the packing tape to reveal—well, he wasn't sure exactly what, beyond the memory stick on top. A little more investigating revealed a pair of speakers, a sound mixing board, and a tabletop disco ball. "Well, speaking of parties," Eric began.

"We're hosting a Christmas dance at the retirement community near Pendelton."

"I can tell one thing: this is my Christmas of new experiences."

"Not just you—Sam roped in Callen and Deeks. Well, Kensi helped."

The list on the whiteboard grew as the pile of presents diminished. Day 4 was revealed as 'Christmas crafts with military kids,' while Eric surprised a charity thrift store with the gift of a network, to be installed on day 5. On day 6, the pair would join Deeks to help serve New Year's dinner at a food bank, while the package, or rather, envelope, for day 7 left Nell puzzled. The only contents were two guest passes to Pendelton and a letter of entrance to the Pendelton Communications Technology Center, signed by Hetty. "You asked Hetty for an idea?" Nell inquired, shocked.

"Kensi's idea. Had to get the logistics ironed out by Hetty. Pendelton usually runs a day of video calls to wherever their units are deployed so all the families can see their soldiers for Christmas. This year it was a victim of budget cuts, so we're going in to do the calls for free."

Nell remembered the miracle that those Christmas calls were, first when her dad was deployed and then again with Randy. "That's…amazing, Eric. I'll have to be sure and thank Hetty."

Day 8 promised to put Eric out of his element, as Nell had arranged with a child life specialist at LA Children's Hospital to host a special coloring day for all the kids who were able. The next day was Eric's self-chosen out-of-comfort-zone project, which also involved the most 'ninja skills' on his part since he had to swipe flour, sugar, and spices out of the cabinets without Nell noticing. With recipes from Hetty, Eric gathered all the supplies necessary to make dozens of Christmas cookies to decorate with students at the Los Angeles School for the Deaf.

Day 10 promised a good workout, as the entire team would join the community and help assemble the new Everybody Can Play playground.

Day 11 was Nell's gift to the random dad working in Ops, and dozens of parents like him, as she and Eric would install the security cameras at The Rainbow Preschool of the Valley. Eric's plans for day 12 were most directly from Sam but more distantly put into motion by Hetty; when OSP upgraded their computer systems in the fall, she had arranged to have all the computers completely erased and then donated to an after-school and daycare center for at-risk inner city kids. The computers were ready and waiting to be installed on the twelfth day of Christmas.

With the list on the whiteboard complete, Nell and Eric sorted through the wrapping scraps and attempted to bring some semblance of order to the Christmas tree side of the living room before starting preparations for Christmas dinner.


	3. Day 1

**Day 1: Christmas Cards for Nursing Home**

"Hey, Wolfram, your stuff put up?" Nell asked. Eric knew that the question came not out of her minor neat-freak-ness but because she didn't relish the awkward conversation that would ensue if the team found out Eric was all but inhabiting her apartment. For his part, Eric didn't want to have the "we're living together, but it's not like that" conversation a day sooner than necessary. So he carefully tucked his tablet charger inside the trunk-turned coffee table, slipped his glasses case from his bedside table into his dresser, moved his towel and wet surf gear to the laundry room, and hid his toothbrush and razor under the bathroom counter, behind the stack of towels. Assuming nobody started snooping, *ahem*, _investigating_, the secret should be safe.

Eric reentered the living room just as someone knocked on the door. A look through the peephole revealed Special Agent G. Callen, looking as if he felt somewhat awkward inhabiting Nell's doorstep. "Got it!" Eric called, and opened the door to relieve Callen's discomfort. The blonde agent stepped in the door and looked around curiously; evidently he had never seen the inside of Nell's apartment before. Then his eyes narrowed, and Eric knew they were in for an interrogation. "So, Eric, you beat me here; where's your car?"

"I had him park it in the back, by the garage, so you guys wouldn't take up as much curbside parking," Nell piped up from the kitchen. "Neighbors get kinda upset if someone takes more than their fair share."

"Which is what, four spaces?" Callen's tone sat on the edge between hard teasing and anger.

"They prefer three, but five would really be pushing it," the red-headed analyst shot back.

Callen doused her with an "I don't quite believe you" look, but was cut off from continuing the conversation when the doorbell rang. He pivoted and opened the door to let Deeks in. The shaggy detective took one glance around the room and inquired, "Should I wait outside for a sec? This looks like a conversation I really don't want to be mixed up in!"

"That conversation is over," Callen stated bluntly.

"Really," Nell bit back. "Your mouth says one thing and your face says something else."

Deeks started backing toward the door, and nearly got smacked in the head with it as Kensi let herself in.

"Woah. Nobody told me I was walking into a war zone," the junior agent gasped. "Maybe I should just take another look at my hair," and Kensi started turning around.

"Kenz, it's okay," Callen replied softly. "We'll handle this later."

"Handle what later, G.?" Sam asked as he and Michelle ushered their kids inside.

"I'll let you know when it's time to handle it," his partner replied cryptically.

Sam's daughter took one look at the supplies spread around Nell's workspaces and broke into a huge grin. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"I'm with you, sweetie," Michelle replied. "Nell, this looks like lots of fun."

"Well, let's get going, then," the analyst replied. "Stencils, paper, and writing utensils are on the island, scissors on the trunk, and cards and final assembly stuff are on the bar."

An hour, three paper cuts, two highly embarrassing pictures of the "big bad senior agents" (as Michelle called them), and the shocking discovery that Callen was actually very good with scissors later, fifty greeting cards were weighted down under various heavy books on nearly every horizontal surface in Nell's living areas.

"Does anyone know what time it is?" Nell inquired.

Sam sniffed the air investigatively. "My bet's on hot chocolate and cookies time."

"And that would be score one for Sam!" Michelle replied from the kitchen, as she moved a platter of cookies from the stovetop to the bar.

"Man, these are good," Callen commented from the sofa a few minutes later. "Whose recipe?"

"My cousin Becky," Nell replied. "She was a pastry chef before she started her second job as a full time mom. Funny story, she was a Chemistry major but then she decided to go to culinary school."

"Hmm," Michelle replied. "I can tell you one thing, she's one great cook."

The agent in Callen started taking over. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, the cards should be dry by now," Nell replied, "so I was thinking we should write inside, put 'em in envelopes, and head over."

Noises of general consent followed, and everyone started moving to write in their various cards.

xxxxxx

"Hey, Nell, do y'think it would be a good idea to carpool?" Michelle asked. "We've got three extra seats."

"I've got three, too," Kensi added, "four if you like each other."

"I have an extra seat; I'll take Eric," Callen replied. It was a statement, not a question.

Eric groaned inwardly. The thought of being in a small, confined space with a ticked-off agent Callen was more than slightly terrifying.

"If you want to ride with Kensi, Nell, Deeks is welcome to hop in with us," Michelle offered.

"Fine by me," Kensi replied.

"Yay, Uncle Marty gets to ride with us!" Sam's kids squealed.

"Well, we know how they feel about it," he replied wryly. "Okay with you, Deeks?"

"Sure thing," came the shaggy detective's answer.

"Okay, guys," Sam called loudly, "let's roll!"

xxxxxx

Eric wordlessly buckled in to the front seat of Callen's car, silently preparing himself for one of the hardest car rides since he put a couple too few thousand miles between him and his family.

"Geez, Eric, chill," Callen commented of-handedly. "I'm not going to bite your head off."

His statement did little to calm the nervous techie.

"Eric, look at me." Callen locked his ice-blue gaze with the surfer's fearful one. "I. Am. Not. Going to hurt you. Is that clear enough?"

Eric nodded stiffly.

Callen piloted his car out of Nell's complex and headed for the highway. "Look, man, I just want a couple of straight answers, that's all."

Again, the stiff nod.

"If you and Nell are together, I'm going to congratulate both of you, and politely ask you to stop the 'wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Bob's your uncle' deal and just spit it out already."

"It's not…like that."

"But you are living together."

"I am occupying her spare bedroom several nights a week, Agent Callen," Eric replied defensively.

"Okay, okay, keep your pants, I mean, shorts, on, Eric. Just one more question and we'll drop the subject completely until you want to talk about it."

"Just get it over with."

"What is your…physical relationship with her?"

Eric groaned. "How many times do I have to say 'It's not like that,' Callen?"

"Just tell me."

"Tell you what?"

Callen sighed. "What is the most physical contact you have had with my intelligence analyst?"

"She's my partner, for your information, Agent Callen," Eric shot back, "and the most intimate thing we have done is kiss under mistletoe."

"Do you mind telling me the most physical contact you have had recently?" Callen inquired, knowing he was pushing his luck.

"I dunno, a few hugs, high-fives and fist bumps, sometimes we sit with our hands stacked when we're not typing. The contact is a lifeline for her…for both of us."

Eric braced himself. "We…I held her hand a couple of times, not in a lover way…"

"In what kind of way, Eric? Like, dancing?"

"No, to keep her…look, it's not my story to tell. You'll have to ask her."

"I've read her file."

"This isn't in her file."

"Not her personnel file, Eric, her file with Nate."

"But…I mean, how…?"

"She sent Nate written permission to release it to me. Said I needed to know. I know, I didn't believe it either, thought someone was trying to blackmail her. But I pulled samples out of reports she submitted to me, and the handwriting's a perfect match, written in her favorite pen."

Eric still looked stunned.

"I know there's stuff that's…not in there, it's pretty obvious that Nate left out some, or a lot of details, but I know enough to know what you mean, Eric. If you say she needed it, she needed it."

But Callen's agent sense was still tingling. "There's something you're not telling me, Eric."

The surfer sighed. "We slept in the same bed…once…fully clothed…back to back…for like, two hours…"

"Why?" Callen asked.

"Why did it happen, or why didn't I tell you up front?" Eric replied bitterly.

"Both, but mainly the first one. I have a pretty good idea what the second answer is."

"It was storming, you know she doesn't like storms…okay, you didn't know that…well, she doesn't, they were stationed in Alabama once and her grandmother lives in Mississippi…Dixie tornado alley…and I had a nightmare…neither of us could sleep…"

"I get the picture, Eric. You needed someone to help you face the fear. No judgment here, man, one of the best night's sleep I ever had was when I kept Monty for Deeks, and he came and curled up right next to me."

Eric looked somewhat relieved.

"Nate know this?"

"Which part?"

"Any of it."

"He knows I stay there a lot. Haven't really had much contact with him lately, he's been busy."

"Next time he's around, you should tell him. I think he would be proud of you two."

"Really?" Eric asked.

"Really. Look, Eric, if this is what you two need, then I'm a hundred percent fine with it. Hundred and ten, even."

"Thanks, Callen."

"We good?"

"We're good."

**A/N**: I know I didn't cover the entire day, but the purpose is as much to study the interactions between characters as to chronicle the 12 Days projects.


	4. Day 2

**Day 2**

Callen and Deeks arrived at Nell's place simultaneously the next afternoon. They ran into each other at the curb, and it didn't take many of Callen's agent skills to tell that Deeks was itching to ask him a question.

"Fire ahead, Deeks."

"Fire…wha, what?"

"You're obviously about to pop, just ask the question!"

"What did I walk into yesterday?"

"Sam called it me going all big brother over Nell."

"Oh…kay…?"

"Eric beat me, I didn't see his car, so I got suspicious."

"And the answer to your suspicions was?"

Callen strode toward the door. "It's not like that."

"Like…what?"

"Like where your brain automatically goes when a guy beats you to a girl's house and you didn't see his car."

"Oh. That."

"Shut up, Deeks."

"Hey, that's Kensi's line."

"Fine, shut up Deeks," Kensi replied from behind him.

Callen swore Deeks jumped at least three inches. "Uh, hi, Fern."

"Hi. So are we all going to stand here awkwardly or is someone going to knock?"

The doorknob turned from the inside. "Neither," Callen replied, "hi, Eric."

"Hey guys, Nell's in…I mean, she'll be out in a minute."

Callen had barely stepped in the door when a shaky voice called from the bathroom, "Uh, Wolfram?"

"Yeah, Nellster? Woah, you okay?"

"Yes, I mean, not exactly…nothing permanent…did I hear Kensi?"

"Right here," the junior agent replied.

"Hey, uh, Kensi, I need a little help," Nell stated, sounding embarrassed.

"Sure thing." Kensi trotted down the hall, and Nell let her slip in the bathroom door.

The first thing Kensi saw was blood. A lot of it. "Nell? You okay?"

The analyst sighed. "Razor cut, and it hurts like crazy."

"It's also evidently bleeding like crazy," Kensi replied ruefully. "Here, pressure." She handed Nell a wad of Kleenex.

"There's some gauze in a plastic box, under the sink," Nell told the Agent.

A moment later, she heard a curious sound emanate from under said sink.

"What?"

"Why is there a man's razor and a toothbrush behind your stack of towels?"

_Busted!_ Nell groaned inwardly. "Kenz, I'm in pain and bleeding everywhere; save the interrogation?"

Kensi handed Nell several pieces of gauze and reached for the bandaging tape. "Wait. Answer my question or bandage it yourself."

"Do I look like I can bandage it myself?" The pretzel-like state Nell was currently maintaining answered her question.

"So spit it out!" Kensi was starting to lose her cool. Nell rarely tried to hide something from her. "Or get Eric to bandage it!"

A wad of bloody tissues bounced off the back of the Agent's head, followed closely by a soaked washcloth.

"Woah, woah…wow, seriously Nell, seriously?"

"Shut up, Kensi!"

She put her hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture, and turned to face the red-headed analyst. "You…need to calm down."

One glance at Nell's face told Kensi that was seriously not happening. She moved to silently bandaging the jagged gash on the side of Nell's thigh before grabbing her jeans off the counter.

"That's not working," Nell commented, indicating the bandage on her leg. "I really wanted to wear that shirt." She sniffled. "It's Eric's favorite."

Kensi moved to sit on the tub side next to the friend she thought of as a little sister. "That razor and toothbrush, are they Eric's?"

Nell nodded. "But it's not like that."

"Whadaya mean, not like that?"

"We're not, like, together; it's not a couple thing. He stayed here a few days when his apartment was being fumigated and it…worked really well, for both of us. You know, like psychologically and stuff. Decreased anxiety and fewer night awakenings and all that stuff Nate says."

Kensi laughed. "That does sure sound like the Nate we all know and love. Want me to go get you another pair of jeans?"

Nell's head dropped. Kensi barely caught the mumbled "no". Slipping an arm around Nell's shoulders, the agent gently rubbed her friend's shoulder. "Why not?"

"That's…my only pair of jeans…I don't look sixteen in…"

"Nell…" Kensi barely knew where to start. "It would take a new wardrobe and a bunch of careful makeup to make you look sixteen."

"This makes no sense! Since when do I care this much about what I look like, anyways?"

"I think you always paid attention to how you looked, you just pulled from a standard wardrobe you knew fit the bill. But the bill's changed…and so should your wardrobe. What you wore undercover last week, you looked great in that, not too casual or too dressy, and definitely more-than-a-little-out-of-college."

"I sorta liked that outfit," Nell conceded. "It was comfortable and liveable and maybe had a little of that 'don't mess with me' flavor?"

"You definitely didn't look like a delicate flower," Kensi replied. "We should be able to pull together something close; the only problem might be the jacket."

"Not a problem; I liked it so much I went and bought one that night."

"Well, then I'll be back in a minute," Kensi replied and slipped from the bathroom into Nell's room.

"Kenz, sit rep!" Callen called.

"Under control," Kensi replied.

"I'm good!" came Nell's voice from the bathroom. "ET to readiness, seven minutes."

Callen and Deeks laughed from the living room.

Kensi slipped back in with a grey fitted henley and dark-wash jeans loose enough they wouldn't show off the bandage. The jacket was slung over her shoulder, and she held a pair of combat-style boots between her arm and ribs. "Based off that outfit, but a smidge more casual with an upped 'don't mess with me' vibe."

By the time the pair emerged from the bathroom, Nell had fully recovered from her sort-of meltdown and was acting a little agent-y for Kensi's comfort. _Face it: little sister, all grown up_.

Callen had already loaded the box of wonders, and the boys were arguing loudly about transport arrangements. Nell stuck two fingers in her mouth, and Kensi winced, anticipating the ear-splitting whistle.

All attention was instantly on the red-headed analyst. "Do you need to take something outside?"

Eric looked embarrassed, Deeks looked subdued, and Callen looked almost amused.

"Fine, then we're all in Kensi's car."

Kensi shot her a 'doesn't that put all the boys in the back' look and Nell replied with a 'that was my point' one.

The two girls smirked, then laughed, and strode out to the car, jackets slung over shoulders by right index fingers, and walking in step.

Eric glanced at Deeks. "Y'think they're rubbing off on each other?"

Deeks grinned. "Mostly Kensi, but yeah."

xxxxxx

By 7pm, Callen had decided that Dutch Blitz gave his observational skills a nice workout, and Nell and Deeks were tied in the analyst versus lawyer competition at Clue. Two kids had one a game each (both times Nell and Deeks had identified two of the three cards) and the analyst and cop had each won two. "You said best of seven, Nellosaurous, so this one's the match point," Deeks ribbed, "and I would like to make," he paused for drama, "an accusation." The four teens in the circle all looked intrigued. "It was Colonel Mustard, in the Hall, with the Lead Pipe." He reached for the envelope in the center and fanned out the cards. A muffled curse later, they were unceremoniously shoved back in and tossed in the general direction of the board.

"That would be Colonel Mustard, in the Hall, with the Revolver, Shaggy," Nell teased as she caught the envelope.

"That would be a big fat FAIL for Velma," Deeks replied.

"It was," Eric whispered, emerging from the sidelines, "Colonel Mustard, in the Hall, with the Candlestick. And I swear, I saw nobody's cards."

"Can you win the game if you're not playing?" Deeks asked.

"NO!" the four remaining players yelled in chorus.

"Movie's in five," Eric announced, before heading to the next game table.

"How does he do that?" Deeks wondered.

Nell shrugged. "He's Eric."

"I would like to make an accusation," the quiet dark-haired boy, Jerry, stated. "Colonel Mustard, in the Hall, with the Candlestick."

"And Jerry is the winner!" Deeks announced. "Eric said he's starting Despicable Me."

As the teens stampeded towards the movie area, Deeks poked Nell's shoulder. "Believe me, we _will_ have a rematch of this!"

Callen quietly observed the interactions of his team during the movie. Sam's family had met them at the shelter, and the big guy settled in with his daughter in his lap and an arm around Michelle. The respectable distance between Deeks and Kensi diminished in the first half-hour so that, by the time Gru took Margo, Edith, and Agnes to the fair, Kensi was all but leaning on her partner's shoulder. As for Eric and Nell, they laughed and quoted their way through the movie from their position leaning against the projector table, sharing a low-five or fist bump with each correct quote. The rest of the time, Nell's loose fist settled on top of Eric's.

As for big bad Agent Callen, he smiled softly at six-year-old Emma, perched on his knee, and prayed that she would find the family he hadn't had until NCIS.


	5. Day 3

**Day 3**

Nell finally admitted defeat and texted Kensi, with 45 minutes until she and Eric needed to head out.

Nell: SOS dont have a freakin thing to wear!

Kensi: Chill sis we'll find you something

problem that its dancing clothes?

Nell: yeah and E looks spectacular

Kensi: since when does your partner look spectacular

Nell: I dunno but he does

maybe it's the shirt, blue and green pinstripe

Kensi: what shade blue?

Nell: Deeks eyes

Kensi: seriously, Nell?

Nell: what can I say, it's lighter and brighter than Callen's. His have more slate grey mixed in

Kensi: you have an eye color fetish or something?

Nell: just know what shirts bring 'em out.

Kensi: you tried black skirt, grey/white patterned top with tan tank underneath?

Nell: oh my gosh Kensi how do you do that?

Kensi: Deeks says too much Americas next top model, I dunno

Nell: he knows?

Kensi: relax, he can't see my phone, it was about an outfit I pulled together myself in wardrobe

put your hair up, dark jacket, black socks and boots

leather bag

Nell: UR the best!

Kensi: cya there

Eric stuck his head in the bathroom. He had combed his hair just so, not slicked back but not edging toward Mohawk, and the pinstripe shirt looked decidedly snazzy even paired with chino shorts and leather flip-flops. The collar and top buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to the elbow added to the effect, which was enough to make even a passing girl take a second look. The thought made Nell feel strangely possessive, doubly so when she noticed the techie's lingering gaze.

"Yes, Eric?"

"Um, you look…amazing? Am I allowed to say that you look amazing?"

Nell blushed. "I mean, I don't see why you wouldn't be."

"Okay then, Rockstar, you look amazing."

"You look quite spiffy yourself."

"Why thank you, m'lady, may I escort you to the car?"

xxxxxx

She would never have imagined it, but Kensi had to agree with Nell: Eric looked spectacular. Of course, Nell was quick to point out that Deeks wore a button down quite well, and Callen's shirt did wonders for his eyes, but the agent wasn't fooled. _You've got a thing for him, sweetheart._

Nell had done a good job with the music selection, at least to Callen. Her playlist provided an excellent mix of easy line dances, oldie hits, and Christmassy tunes. As an added bonus, many of them were suited for swing dancing. He had discovered a while back that the analyst could swing dance, but his memory was jogged as to her ability in that area by the middle of _We Need A Little Christmas_. Even when he mixed triple step and west coast Charleston, the petite redhead followed his lead flawlessly and obviously impressed many onlookers. Of course, Kensi's outfit consult probably helped with that. Not that someone told him or anything, he just knew. It was his job, after all.

After several heartwarming conversations with veterans attending the dance, Kensi meandered towards the sound table to see Nell. Deeks intercepted her, and asked if she would like to dance as the opening strains of Bing Crosby's _Silver Bells_ floated onto the floor. "Yeah, I mean, yes Deeks, that would be great."

_They sure have come a long way since Hetty's first lessons with them_, Callen mused as he watched his junior agents waltz. Instead of the barely-disguised power fight, not to mention tripping and foot-crushing, that occurred that day in the gym, the pair glided gently around the floor, effortlessly matching each other's steps.

It took him a moment to find the wonder twins from his current position, but Callen finally spotted them hanging by the sound table, joking quietly. He considered going to join their party, but then the music changed to a hit by Michael Jackson; Eric took Nell's hand and led her to the floor. Kensi materialized beside Callen and closed his mouth with a finger. "Kenz, turn around."

She did, and nearly had to pick her own jaw up off the floor. "I did not know Eric could dance!"

"That makes two of us," the senior agent mused. "Maybe he's underconfident in his skills; this song's a bit slow for swing so it'll be easier."

"Who knows," Kensi replied. "Still, I can't believe I missed that."

_I can't believe I missed __**that**_, Callen mused when he saw the close distance the two techies maintained, and the locked gaze and perfect communication. _Hold it, Eric said it wasn't like that, and I trust him…which means they're in denial_.

"Or it's just a partner thing," Kensi added. Callen hadn't realized he was relaxed enough to wear his thoughts on his face. "Like the flawless sentence changes and eye-less file grabs.

"I guess that's always possible," the team leader replied. "They are quite the pair."

And, he realized, regardless of their actual or professed relationship status, there were no two people he'd rather have his back in the field. After Sam, of course.


	6. Day 4

**A/N**: I am so sorry it has taken this long to get another update up! I completely forgot about being out of town and then having company at the beginning of this week.

This is a very long chapter, one of the longest I've ever written. It has a lot of Deeks, and a good bit of Eric also.

**Day 4**

Callen hitched a ride with Sam's family to Nell and Eric's apartment. A quick conversation while the team (minus the wonder twins) was out for drinks the previous night confirmed that, through various channels, the four agents knew of the housing situation. As for Hetty—well, Hetty knew everything.

Michelle's mom was keeping the kids for the night, so when Callen entered the living room with Sam and his wife, the place was unusually calm. In fact, he noted, it was unusually calm for any place the wonder twins were; he hoped nothing was up between them.

"G., what is it?" Sam hissed.

"It's too calm in here."

"Um, that would be because Eric and Nell are loading up."

"Oh."

"Feel better now, mom?"

Callen shot Sam a dirty look.

Surrounded by the usually flurry of activity, Nell and Eric re-entered the apartment. Eric cut through the noise of Sam and Callen bantering and Kensi and Deeks half-killing each other with a sharp whistle. "Form a circle of wagons!"

One curious glance from Michelle later, the team circled around Nell's island. "Okay, all the supplies are waiting for us"

"at Pendelton, thanks to the amazing events manager there," Eric finished.

"I figured it would be best to delegate responsibilities here, because"

"it will probably be chaos once we get there."

"There are 2 Christmas crafts we will be doing,"

"candy cane mice, and handprint angels." Eric held up examples of each.

"Also, there will be a table for making hairbows like these," Nell indicated a fabric-flower hair clip,"

"and someone helping with the classic coffee filter flowers and butterflies."

"…while Eric is working his magic at the paper airplane table."

He reddened slightly. "We'll also need someone to supervise the coloring area."

"So," Nell started off, "job number one is candy cane mice. Requirements, ability to operate scissors. Basic knowledge of a hot glue gun recommended."

Callen raised his hand. "Going once," Eric announced, "Going twice, and job one is Callen's."

"Job number two is handprint angels. Requirements, ability to operate glue sticks and stamp pads, and tie knots. Basic ability with stamp pads encouraged."

Sam stuck his hand up. "I know the tricks to stamp pads."

"Okay, Sam's it is," Eric announced. "Job three, coffee filter crafts. Must be able to operate a squirt bottle and clothespins."

"Applicant must be okay with getting poked by pipe cleaners a few times," Nell added.

Michelle nodded. "I'll take that,"

"Okay, that leaves Deeks and Kensi."

"I want something where I can interact with the kids," Deeks replied softly.

"Sounds like you get the coloring table, which leaves you with me, Kensi. Hope you know how to hot glue."

"If it's anything like a real gun, I should be fine!"

Eric glanced at his watch. "Okay team, load 'em up and move 'em out!"

xxxxxx

"Okay, let's take the tour and you can stay at your respective location," Nell announced as the team entered the assembly room. Along one wall was a long table lined with chairs and covered with stacks of coloring pages, buckets of markers, and boxes of crayons. "Deeks, coloring table, try to keep the kids and the coloring implements intact, please."

The shaggy detective saluted jauntily. "With pleasure, pardner!"

Eric headed off for the paper airplane table to start folding his examples.

The analyst lead across the room to a U of tables closed on the fourth side by a wall. "Callen, Sam, Michelle, you can go over or under." All three went for over, and Sam and Callen staged an impromptu vaulting competition. "Okay, guys, this is a hot glue gun. Kensi?"

"Behind you."

"Muzzle," Nell indicated the tip on the gun, "very, very hot. This is the barrel," pointing to the top of the hot glue gun, "these are clips." Nell held up hot glue sticks.

Callen raised his hand. "Where's the safety?"

"There isn't one. Don't point it at something you don't want burned and stuck together."

"When do you reload?" Callen was clearly trying to be difficult.

"When you pull the trigger and nothing happens."

Sam grinned at Nell; "Good one. Knock it off, G, I have enough kids to deal with without dealing with you."

"Sam, how many times do we have to have this conversation? You're my partner, not my mother!"

Kensi and Nell left the partners to their banter. The agent looked slightly intimidated by the piles of fabric scraps and felt on their table. "Relax, Kensi, it's easier than it looks."

"Really?"

"Really. Pick a piece or two of fabric, and pick a circle of felt." The older woman followed the directions meekly, somewhat startled by the sudden role reversal.

"Probably need to plug in the hot glue guns so they can warm up," Nell commented as she ducked under the table to find an outlet. "Okay, fold the piece of fabric in eighths, or more if you like. Take scissors and cut an arc across the top."

"A what?"

"A piece of a circle, so there's a curve on top. Then cut up the sides at a slant."

"Looks like a baseball diamond gone wrong," Kensi commented.

Nell laughed. "Take a scrap, and wad it up so it looks pretty on top. Hot glue it to the center of the felt circle. Then take a piece of fabric, roll it up, and glue it closed. Glue it to the felt, along the edge, and start working your way around. Once you've done an outer circle, you do one or two more until all the felt is covered, and hot glue the felt to a clip."

Kensi nodded hesitantly. "Is this glue supposed to form…hair?"

"Yep. One of the weird properties of hot glue. Better be glad it's low temperature, otherwise your fingers would be burnt to a crisp by the end of tonight."

xxxxxx

By the time kids started invading the room, the entire team was pretty comfortable with their roles. Deeks approached a quiet, dark-haired boy who was digging through coloring papers. "Hey."

"Hi," the little guy replied quietly.

"I'm Marty," Deeks introduced himself. "What's your name?"

"N-noah," he responded, flashing a hesitant, front-toothless grin. As Noah dug through the papers, Deeks noticed a primary colored puzzle-piece temporary tattoo on the boy's arm. "I'm Noah," it read. "I'm 6, and I have autism. I don't talk much, but I can understand what you're saying. If I'm lost, please look inside my sleeve for my mom's phone number."

Deeks wracked his brain for anything he remembered about autism. It wasn't much, but he did recall that many kids with autism had trouble communicating, were sensitive to things like sudden noises, and loved anything mechanical or computerized.

"Are you looking for a special coloring page?" Deeks asked.

"Dump truck?" Noah asked. His mop of brown hair fell every direction, framing expressive blue eyes. They looked excited, but a little scared.

Deeks reached for a small stack of papers before removing a large picture of a dump truck.

Noah's face lit up. "Dump truck!"

"Do you want crayons or markers?"

"Crayons or markers." Noah replied blankly.

"What color do you want?"

"RED!"

Deeks offered him a red crayon and a red marker. Noah took the marker, and started carefully filling in the coloring page while chewing on his sleeve.

"Noah, I will be right back. I need to go see if those kids need help, but I'll be back in just a minute."

Noah nodded, and Deeks walked over to a group of older kids, maybe nine or ten years old, hanging in a little circle at the end of the coloring table. They leaned closer together as he approached, but the detective had a good enough ear to pick up bits of the conversation. "Didja see that kid?" "Chewing on his sleeve again! That's so retarded!"

Deeks barely paused to reign in his temper before walking up to the circle in full detective presence. "Excuse me, do you kids need any help? I mean, besides a dictionary?"

He swore every kid in the circle shrank at least six inches.

"It is not acceptable to talk about any person like that, you hear me?" Deeks hissed. "Especially a younger, weaker kid! You know what that is? That's bullying!"

One of the brighter-looking kids in the circle looked astonished. "I didn't know that! I'm sorry, I didn't know! Bullying is wrong."

His friends looked shocked, and started backing away. Within a few seconds, he was the only kid left in front of Deeks.

"That's the right attitude, umm?"

"Lewis."

"Hi Lewis, I'm Marty."

"Hi, Marty." Lewis studied his shoes intently.

"That was very brave, Lewis. You know, I'm a cop."

"Really?"

"Really. People who make brave decisions, and decide to do what's right, they get to do lots of great things. If you decide you're going to be a good guy right now, and not bully, and stick up for kids who are bullied, then you're being a good guy. The rest of them," Deeks gestured towards his departed 'friends', "they're being bad guys. Someday, the law is going to catch up with them, in school or somewhere else. But you'll be a good guy, you'll help people and not get in trouble."

"Cool," Lewis replied. "I want to be a good guy. I want to be a cop, or a marine."

"Well, I know lots of cops and marines, and they're all great people, and I'm sure you will be too, Lewis. Do you know what marines say, when they see a marine standing up for someone?"

Lewis nodded. "They say, 'Semper fi.'"

"It's the marine's motto; it means, 'always faithful.' The next time someone tries to get you to be a bad guy, you can look at them and say 'Semper fi,' and walk away. And, you know what? Some of them might decide to follow you."

"Really?"

"Really. Hey, Lewis, do you like paper airplanes?"

"Yeah! I love paper airplanes!"

"Well, you see that guy down there? That's my friend Eric, and he makes really awesome paper airplanes. I have to go get back to Noah, but I know Eric would love to see you."

"He would?" the boy asked hesitantly.

"Uh-huh, he would. When he was a little younger than you, he met a friend who couldn't hear. And one day Eric had to make the decision you just did, to be a good guy instead of a bad guy. Plus, he's just a really awesome person."

"Okay," Lewis said, "I'll go see him."

Deeks returned to Noah's side. The little boy held up his marker. "Black."

The detective grabbed a black marker and handed it to Noah. He grinned brightly, and settled back into working on his picture. After a minute, Noah paused and pointed to a red marker stain on his finger. "What'th thith red liquid spurting from my paw?"

Courtesy of Sam's kids, Deeks had seen _Bolt_, and knew which quote came next. "It's called blood, hero, and if you want to keep it inside you where it belongs, than you don't jump out of moving vans doing eighty on the interstate!"

Noah imitated Bolt's stomach growling before fixing Deeks with a harsh glare. "Okay, cat, you have five thecondth to tell me what you've implanted in me. Is it poithon? A parathite? Poithon? Wait, I already thaid that. Thee, I'm all dithcombobulated, I can't think thtraight!"

Deeks sighed expressively. "I don't believe this. You're hungry!"

Noah glanced at a marker on the table. "Where ith the antidote? I thaid, WHERE ITH THE ANTIDOTE!"

A couple people were turning to look at the pair, but Deeks really couldn't care less. As Noah imitated a laser stare, the detective tried to look unimpressed.

"None of my powerth are working. It must be thith—Styrofoam!" and Noah jumped backwards from the table.

Deeks followed his gaze to the marker standing in for a "polystyrofoam packin' peanut." "Untie me, dog," he exclaimed, drawing the marker, "or I'm—I'm going to seriously wound you with this Styrofoam!"

Noah hung his head. "Okay, okay cat, you win, I'll untie you." The little boy slowly approached Deeks. He looked pointedly over the detective's shoulder before exclaiming, "That'th a weird place to put a piano!"  
Deeks pivoted over his shoulder, but a lusty "kiah!" from Noah brought him back around in time to see the little boy grab his wrists. "Are there going to be any more problemth, cat?"

"No," Deeks replied, trying to sound tiny and scared, "no more problems."

Aparently, that was the end of Noah's reenactment of _Bolt_, because he returned to coloring his dump truck. "Dump truck," he murmured with pleasure.

xxxxxx

Over at the paper airplane table, Eric noticed a slightly older kid, maybe eleven or so, hanging at the edge of the crowd. As the children in front of him dispersed with their planes, the boy approached the table timidly. "Are you Eric?"

The techie nodded. "Yep, that's me."

"I'm…Lewis. Marty sent me."

_Marty? Right, Deeks_. "Hi Lewis, do you want a paper airplane?"

He nodded slowly. "One that takes some time."

Eric selected a sheet of paper and started folding. "Why did Marty send you?"

"He had to get back to Noah, and…he said you had to choose to be a good guy or a bad guy when you were my age."

Wondering exactly which incident Deeks had been referring to, Eric asked "What else did he tell you?"

"That when I chose not to be a bully, I was brave and chose to be a good guy, not a bad guy."

_Aha, gotcha, Deeks_. Eric nodded. "When I was seven or eight, I met my friend Josh. Josh, besides being a really cool person, can't hear. He's completely deaf. He reads lips, but he talks using sign language. I thought that was pretty cool, and when we would talk by writing on paper I asked him to teach me."

Eric studied the airplane, remembering the exact day he made the decision Deeks had pinpointed. "One day, some of my other friends were teasing Josh with their backs to him, because they knew he couldn't hear them. I stood up tall, and told them if they wanted to talk about Josh they should turn around and say it to his face."

"What happened?" Lewis asked.

"They laughed at me, and I turned around and walked away. I chose to be a good guy, and not a bully, and every recess after that I hung out with Josh. He taught me sign language, and I taught him computer language."

"Computers talk?"

"To themselves, but you can talk to them if you know how. That's most of my job: I talk to computers."

"Do they tell you things?"

Eric nodded. "They tell me lots of things, things we use to help keep people safe." He held up the finished airplane.

"Can you write something on it?" Lewis asked.

"Uh-huh, what do you want?"

A few minutes later, Noah finished his dump truck. Deeks looked around for the little boy near the end of the evening, and spotted him at the far end of the room, with Lewis, chasing a paper airplane emblazoned with the words "Semper Fi."


End file.
